Madame de Stael Quotes on Virtue
Anne-Louise-Germaine de Stael, known as Madame de Stael, was a French-Swiss writer, philosopher, and woman of letters who shaped the literary and political thought of her age. This page collects quotes attributed to Madame de Stael on the topic of virtue, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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Attributed to Madame de Stael:
“To understand all is to forgive all.”
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“The voice of conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it.”
La voix de la conscience est si délicate, qu'il est facile d'étouffer; mais elle est si pure, qu'il est impossible de la méconnaître. -
“The evil arising from mental improvement can be corrected only by a still further progress in that very improvement. Either morality is a fable , or the more enlightened we are, the more attached to it we become.”
The Influence of Literature upon Society ( De la littérature considérée dans ses rapports avec les institutions sociales , 1800), Pt. 2, ch. 4 -
“If we would succeed in works of the imagination , we must offer a mild morality in the midst of rigid manners ; but where the manners are corrupt , we must consistently hold up to view an austere morality.”
The Influence of Literature upon Society (1800), Pt. 2, ch. 5